Labas and welcome to our first Blog post! We are Alo Grun and Kim Schoffers. We have been studying Game Design and Development in Berlin and are currently spending our semester abroad in the city of Vilnius.
Since our arrival in Lithuania at the end of August we’ve already had some great experiences which you can read about here.
As we moved into our new apartment within the “Chapters Co-Living” spaces we quickly realized that most of our classmates have also rented rooms there.
Everyone living together has been great for getting to know each other quickly. Events such as Gaming Nights or preparing culturally significant dishes together have greatly helped to create a positive, communal environment.
Our first impressions of the city itself have also been rather positive.
While our residential building is not directly at the city centre, most important shops, as well as the university are within 10 to 15 minutes walking distance.
For anything that’s a bit further away the public transport system has been quite reliable so far. In comparison to Berlin, the public transport doesn’t rely on trains but rather is made up of various bus lines. Together with the lower ticket prices, especially for students, it’s been very easy to get around.
During our first weekend here, we got to see the Vilnius city fiesta which was held within the older parts of town and lead all the way up to one of the city’s landmarks, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus. Walking through a bustling market, filled with food stalls, live music performances and various artists displaying and selling their works has served as a great introduction to the local culture.
A more historical part of Vilnius is Gediminas’ castle tower, which as the name suggests, is the remnants of a castle on top of a hill, not too far from the cathedral. The view from the top is quite interesting, as it shows how diverse the architecture in Vilnius can be. As seen on the pictures, on the left side of the hill, the older parts of Vilnius can be seen, with its historical, intricate buildings. In comparison to that, on the right side of the hill, past the Neris river, the newer parts of the city stand tall, made up of modern skyscrapers, shopping malls and business centres.
Lastly, we also want to touch on our experience concerning our partner university, the Vilnius College of Design (or short: VDK).
On our first day after a warm welcome we were shown around the premises and introduced to our professors. The university has a modern, industrial interior with its own library and canteen with a menu that changes daily. Sadly, we have not gotten to interact with many of the Lithuanian students yet, as our classes are being held separately from theirs.
It is important to mention however, as the both of us (and most of the other Macromedia exchange students here as well) are studying Game Design in Germany some of the classes here are not entirely fitted for our course. However, the professors have tried to adjust their usual material as much as possible to accommodate for that.
One of our favourite classes so far is the movie industry course. As the name suggests, in this class we are expected to make our own short film. The classes itself are structured as if our groups were part of a real film studio, working with a client, which makes the class very engaging.
Overall, our first weeks in Vilnius have been a great experience and we are incredibly excited to see what the next few months will bring!
